As the dust settles
by Kryalla Orchid
Summary: E'ara universe, book one. Starfire ponders the contents of Robin’s briefcase and gives him a very special gift. This leads to a incredible flight, and a devastating dust storm. RobxStar.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **Teen Titans, or any of its counterparts are not mine.  
_

_**Authors Note:** This is the first in a universe I've called E'ara. It begins just after the Episode "Revved Up". As the dust settles is a very basic introduction to that universe and I've improved greatly since it was written._

_I am Australian, so there will be differences in spelling and slang terms. Examples include learnt, burnt, instead of learned and burned, also most spellings that have a z in it will contain an s, such as realise.  
_

_Re-edited May 2010.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Robin?"

Starfire rapped lightly on the blue door of Robin's motel room. "Robin?" she called again, listening for sounds of movement from within the room. She could dimly hear running water from inside the room.

She knocked again, louder this time. There was a muffled yelp from inside and the sound of water disappeared before footsteps approached the door.

"Yes?"

"It is I," she replied hesitantly. "I wish to speak with you."

There was a momentary silence from the other side of the door, before she heard the lock snap and a jangle of chain. "Yeah, sure," he replied as his voice drifted away. "Come in, I'll just be a sec."

Grasping the handle, she opened the door and entered quickly, closing the door softly behind her. She was startled to find the room empty.

"Robin?" she called again, confused as to why the small room would be empty. The double bed was covered in a soft green blanket, the bedside table partially covered in newspaper clippings and manila folders. Robin's laptop computer was set up on small wooden dining table against the far wall. A small television perched on the miniature refrigerator opposite the bed. It was one of the three best and only rooms they could find in this small, misbegotten town that they'd been forced to stay while the T-car was being repairs.

Her eyes traveled to the suitcase rack and landed on the small silver briefcase that meant so much to Robin.

Robin poked his head out of the bathroom at the back of the room, his hair slicked flat and dripping with water, a white towel draped across bare shoulders, the ever-present mask hiding his eyes. "You caught me in the shower Star," he said, a faint blush spreading a cross his cheeks. "I'll, erm... be out in a minute."

Starfire felt a similar blush creeping across her cheeks as she averted her eyes, suddenly noticing bits of his uniform strewn around the room. His cape hung on a chair next to the round dining table, gloves and utility belt flung upon the table's wooden surface, boots sprawled on the floor, and his fiery red shirt draped on the open door handle of the bathroom. "Perhaps it is inappropriate that I be here while you are unclothed. I shall return later," she replied, turning toward the door.

"Star, it's okay, really," he replied, stalling her and reached for his shirt. "I'm wearing pants. It's not like you haven't seen me without a shirt on before."

Starfire sensed the blush spread down her neck and she fought not to gawk at his semi naked state. "I did like the swimming at the beach. The water was most enjoyable."

"Yeah," Robin replied from inside the bathroom once more. "We'll have to take you back someday. What are the others up to?"

Starfire floated further into the room, before hovering next to the bed, doing her best not to peek through the open bathroom door. "Beast Boy was regaling Raven with the tale of his 'taking of the wheel', and Cyborg is in the park of cars working on the T-car. I have asked if he requires my assistance but he refused. I do not believe he wants anyone to touch his 'baby' in its current condition. There were many curse words involving Ding Dong Daddy being emitted from underneath the car."

Robin chuckled as he stepped from the bathroom and reached from his boots, his hair now drier and set into its spikes. He dumped his boots next to a dining chair and turned to rummage around in his suitcase. Socks in hand, he flopped down on a chair and yanked them onto his feet. "Yeah, well, we'll be in this town for a while so he can rebuild, unless he needs to head back to Titan's Tower for gear. So, what's up, Star?"

"I am confused."

"About what?" Robin replied offhandedly, snapping his belt around his waist, before pulling on his boots.

Starfire gently floated over to Robin and sat on the chair opposite him, her eyes resting on Robin's briefcase. She fidgeted momentarily. "On my planet, we carry the memory of those who have departed with us always. I have seen the family photographs of Cyborg, and Beast Boy's infant pictures, even Raven has a likeness of the one called Arella in her room. But I have never seen any of your family. Why hide the keepsakes of your family away?"

Robin froze in the action of reaching for his gloves. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's difficult to explain, Star…"

She cocked her head. "It is part of the 'secret identity', yes?"

"That's part of it," he replied carefully, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Must it always be secret? May we not share in this identity of you?"

"It's not that simple, Star. It's not just my secret."

Starfire's forehead creased slightly and she looked down at her fidgeting hands. "Do you not trust us? There are times in the past when you have not done so. Have we failed to earn it somehow?"

Robin leapt from his chair so fast that it fell backwards to the ground with a thump. Two strides and then he was kneeling before Starfire, taking her hands in his own. "Don't you even think that, Star." He put a finger to her chin and raised her head so he could look into her eyes. "There is no one on earth that I trust more than you… I trust you with my life… you and the other Titans," he added as an after thought. "If anything, I should be the one earning your trust."

Starfire smiled, clutching at his hand. "But you already have that, Robin, there's no need to earn it."

"It's just…. Well... Look at me," he said, breaking from her grasp and standing up abruptly. He spread his arms wide. "I'm human. Completely. I have no superpower, no alien strength, cybernetic implants, magic or shapeshifting ability. What you see is what you get. I have nothing but my skills, my gadgets and this mask." He began to pace. "If I take it off, I could back to being who I was before I became Robin. I could walk down the street and no one would know who I was. No, don't frown at me, it's not ego talking, I promise. It's not like I want or need to recognized. But there's no way for you to stop being who you are, Star. If you walked down the street, people would know who you are simply by your eyes, and skin. It's the same with Raven and Beast Boy. If I walk down the street, it would just be another person. I couldn't do that to you guys. I decided at the beginning that since there wasn't a way for you to stop being the superhero you were, then I wasn't going to stop either. And that meant never being out of uniform."

Robin stopped pacing and stood still. "And then there's Batman," he said, a pensive look on his face. "My father, I could never measure up to him, I could never do anything right by his standards. He trained me in almost every martial art known, and I still wasn't good enough. I got tired of living in his shadow so I left, and went to Jump city. And I'm still living under his web of secrecy. Robin's so closely tied to Batman, that to let anyone know my identify, my name even, would give his away too."

He let out a huff and slumped on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. "I'll never be good enough for that man, never be anything more than a stupid little kid that..." he sighed. "And you know what?" he asked as he raised his head to look at Starfire. "I'd be by his side in a heartbeat if he ever actually needed me."

Starfire smiled at him sadly, and lent forward on her chair to place a hand on his shoulder. "We all love our _norfs_, Robin." She frowned again and turned her head toward the confusing briefcase once more. "But, if Batman is your father, who are the people in the pictures? They looked like a Robin."

Robin followed her gaze, and sighed. He should have known she'd be the only one to notice it.

He stood up and fetched the small silver briefcase before placing it on the bed. Scooting over to the middle of the bed, he propped up a pillow behind his back and lent against the headboard. Reaching for the other pillow, he placed it against the headboard next to him. Patting the space beside him, Robin smiled at Starfire before beckoning her to join him.

With a shy smile, Starfire floated off her chair and over to the bed. Copying Robin's position, she stretched her legs out on the bed and leaned into the pillow. Robin snapped open the locks on the briefcase and eased open the lid. Reaching inside, he pulled out a worn yellow photograph album. 'The Flying Graysons' was splashed across the top and beneath was a picture of three people clothed in red, yellow and green acrobatic gear. He barely glanced at the picture before passing the album to Starfire.

She had noticed the small picture album inside the briefcase after Robin had rescued it from Ding Dong Daddy, but never in any detail. Cyborg and Beast Boy had been too excited about the old style uniform within and the Scrapbook of old newspaper clippings of Batman and Robin to notice the small frayed book tucked away in the corner. But Starfire had instinctively known the instance that she'd seen it, this simple little book was the reason why Robin had fought so long and hard to get his property back.

She handled it delicately, carefully examining the picture of the cover. There was a tall man with spiky black hair and dark eyes, a woman with sparkling blue eyes and black hair cascading over her shoulder, and a small boy who shared the spiky hair and the sparkling blue eyes of his parents. The man stood with his arm around the woman's waist and his hand on the boy's shoulder. All three of them wore simple uniforms, a red and yellow shirt and green tights.

Below the trio, Starfire read. "John and Mary Grayson, and their son Dick. 'The Flying Graysons'." Sucking in a breath of surprise, Starfire glanced up at Robin's impassive face before looking back down to the boy.

Rereading the blurb underneath the photograph, she frowned. "Then Cyborg and Beast Boy already know your true name?"

"Huh?" Robin replied, confused. "No. Why would you say that?"

"I have heard them call you 'Dick' on a number of occasions."

"Really?" he drawled, getting a slight lopsided grin on his face. "I see. And when exactly have they called me that?"

"It is usually uttered softly after they have finished a hard session of training. I must confess, I had always thought of it to be a mean word, like _torglof."_

He chuckled softly. "Richard. My name is Richard, Dick is a nickname."

She brightened, clapping her hands and bouncing on the bed. "Richard! What a glorious name." She frowned again. "But how does one get Dick from Richard?"

Robin gave a throaty chuckle, his cheeks reddening. "I do love your use of English sometimes, Star, it is very… refreshing."

"I am getting better," she retorted with a blush. "Never twice do I make the same mistake."

"That's 'I never make the same mistake twice', Star," he replied playfully.

She looked at him sideways, sure he'd just made fun of her, before her eyes drifted back down to the photograph. "I like Robin better," she replied as she opened the album, revealing picture after picture of a happy and smiling Robin and his parents. "Your mother is very beautiful."

Robin stilled beside her. "Was," he replied softly, swallowing hard. "They died. The Flying Graysons were a trapeze act in a circus. We used to soar through the air performing tumbling tricks for a crowd. Their equipment was sabotaged and they fell to their deaths." His voice broke. "I watched them fall."

"Oh, Robin," Starfire breathed , tears welling in her eyes. She reached out and clutched his hand in sympathy.

Robin looked away and stared off into the distance, giving her hand a squeeze. "I remember silly things, you know? Mum smelled of honeysuckle and lilacs. Dad was always there to catch me when I missed a tumble or a hold. I remember her hugs always made me feel safe and that he used to read to me at nighttime. She used to call me her 'little Robin'," he coughed, trying to hide his voice breaking. "Because I was born on the first day of Spring. It seemed only natural that when Batman adopted me, I took that name and the uniform colours to be closer to my family. As a remembrance."

"I am sorry for the loss off your _norfs, _Robin." She closed the album with her free hand, bowed her head and gently rubbed her thumb over the miniature picture of Robin. "And then _k'norfka _Batman came?" she asked hesitantly after a time raising her head, placing the album on the bed beside her.

Robin swallowed and turned to face her once more. "Yeah, then _k'norfka _Batman came."

Starfire sensed that Robin was not going to say anything more on the subject. She let go of his hand, bounced to her knees and spun on the bed to face him. "Ooh," she smiled. "I have a gift for you!"

Robin raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled secretively before reaching for her ever-present armband. As her hand neared, a small silver button materialized causing Robin to blink in surprise.

"On my planet," she said as she pushed the button, causing the armband to hiss before falling away from her arm. "We carry the memory of our loved ones with us always. This is a Tamaranian _e'ara_." She scratched her ear with her free hand. "I am unsure of how to explain it correctly, it takes mind pictures and plays it back."

"Plays it back?" Robin asked, raising his eyebrows.

Starfire smiled. "Watch," she replied stretching out her arm and holding the _e'ara _flat on her palm. The device gave a little shudder, before morphing into a flat circle of metal on her palm. A small cone of light beamed upward from the center of the circle.

Robin watched in amazement as a miniature version of a much younger Starfire and her _k'norfka _Galfore appeared within the beam of light. Galfore appeared to be tickling a giggling Starfire. The image shifted and Robin saw Starfire surrounded by four other people. Recognizing a younger version of Blackfire, Robin guessed that this was her family. He'd never known she'd also had a younger brother.

The image shifted again to the Titans laughing and playing a game of football in a park. He remembered that day well, it was one of the first outings they had taken as Titans, and where Starfire had developed a taste for mustard.

The image shifted once more and Robin was surprised to see himself dancing with Starfire, on the night of the Prom that he'd been forced to attend with Kitten. Starfire eeped and dropped the circle, the image immediately disappearing.

Starfire coughed and retrieved the circle, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks.

"That's amazing Star!" Robin exclaimed. "Everyone on your planet has one of those?"

"Almost everyone, Robin," she replied carefully. "Some do not wish to carry the _e'ara_." Placing the circle back on her palm, she pressed another magically materializing button, waited for it to return to its previous form and snapped the armband back in its proper place. "This is the female _e'ara_," she said quietly. "It is worn on our right arms, males on the left."

Starfire reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a similar metal circle. "This is the male _e'ara_," she said placing it in Robin's hands. "It is my gift to you, so you can carry your family with you always."

"Starfire," Robin breathed, speechless.

Starfire blushed and bobbed her head. "Push the button in the center of the _e'ara_," she began, pointing toward the center of the circle. "That will attune it to you, and only to you. No one else may access it."

Robin did as she bade, depressing the small button. He felt a prick of pain, and drew his finger back sharply. "Ouch," he muttered, glancing at the small pinprick of blood that welled from his finger.

"I apologize, I should have mentioned that. It takes a small amount of your blood to activate it the first time. Now it is yours forever."

"How do I play the memories?"

"Think about what you wish to remember and the _e'ara _will show it to you."

Robin watched in amazement as the _e'ara _flashed and an image of Starfire flying appeared within its band of light. Robin instinctively clenched his fist around the _e'ara, _and the image disappeared.

Starfire felt herself reddening once more.

Robin coughed to hide his embarrassment. "I think I'll play with this later. How do you turn it into an armband?"

"Press the button again."

Robin pushed the button and watched as the metal circle morphed into an armband. It was different to Starfire's, instead of being smooth, his had circular mounds spaced around the band, and a raised stripe along each edge. "It looks like Galfore's," he murmured quietly, remembering the band he had seen on the Tamaranian's arm.

"Indeed," Starfire replied. "Male _e'ara_ go on the left arm."

Robin carefully snapped the armband onto his left arm. "Thank you Starfire," he replied softly. "It's the best gift I've ever had."

"You need not wear it openly, Robin. It will resize further up your arm under your sleeve if you wish."

"I think I'll leave it right where it is, thanks Star."

Starfire glanced up at Robin's face. He was watching her expressionlessly, but seemed to be waiting for some sort of response from her.

Carefully Starfire reached up toward Robin's mask. He flinched and moved backward instinctively. Starfire held her hand steady and gave him a gentle smile. "Please, I will not harm you," she whispered. She was determined to see what lay beneath the mask, but would wait until he was comfortable. Biting his lower lip he gave her a short nod of affirmation, wiping suddenly sweaty palms on his pants.

Cocking her head slightly in concentration she reached once more for his mask. Grasping the edge in her fingers she slowly peeled it back from his face, before tossing it gently on the bed. She smiled slightly at his closed eyes; he was obviously trying to delay the moment. She reached for his chin and gave it a little shake.

"Robin," she breathed and he blinked open his eyes.

They were a dazzling blue.

Starfire beamed. "They are glorious, Robin."

He descended on her in an instant.

One moment she was admiring his glorious blue eyes, then next he'd pressed his lips on hers. She let out a muffled squeak of surprise before melting against him. Her eyes drifted closed as he sighed against her lips, hand on her hip, gently kneading the fabric of her skirt with his fingers.

Robin deepened the kiss, parting his lips and coaxing her to do the same, before tasting her with the tip of his tongue. His other hand wandered up her back before he wove his fingers into her rich luxurious hair that tumbled down.

He pushed against her gently, and she found herself lying on her back on the bed with Robin's weight settling over her.

There was a loud bang and Robin's weight was gone as he sat up on three limbs, his bo staff in hand, covering Starfire protectively.

"Yo Robin!" Cyborg's loud voice barked through the door as his fist hammered away. "I thought you were gonna be helpin' me with the T-Car! Or at least keeping Raven from murdering BB. Get your masked ass out here!"

Robin chuckled, retracted his bo staff and rested his forehead on Starfire's. "He has absolutely the worst timing ever," he murmured to her before raising his voice. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Dude," Beast Boy's voice wailed through the door. "Have you seen Starfire? I wanna tell her about my driving!"

"What driving BB?" Cyborg retorted, laughing . "All you did was hold the wheel!"

"She's in here with me," Robin bellowed, turning his head back toward the door. "Now go away!"

"Oooooh," Cyborg and Beast Boy both sang at once. "Making out with your _girlfriend_."

Robin gave Starfire a wicked smile. "Yes, now go away!"

Starfire covered her mouth to control her giggles.

There was stunned silence on the other side of the door, followed by "Dude! Did he just say what I think he said?"

"Go away now please," called Starfire gleefully. "I wish to continue the making out."

Robin smiled and descended toward her again. Starfire caught a movement at the door out of the corner of her eye and suppressed a giggle. A green gecko tried to stealthily climb the back of the door after emerging from the gap underneath the door.

There was a splat as Robin flung a small package back at the gecko without breaking Starfire's gaze. Beast Boy morphed back into his original shape to find he'd been covered in pink adhesive goo and stuck face first to the door. "Dude!" he whined wiggling.

Robin gently kissed the tip of Starfire's nose. "Don't move," he whispered, before crawling off the bed and stalking toward the door. Starfire propped herself up on her elbows to watch.

Grabbing Beast Boy by the back of the neck, Robin peeled the green changeling roughly from the door, flung the door open and tossed the disheveled and sticky boy outside. Beast Boy collided with a flabbergasted Cyborg and an unusually astonished Raven, coating all three of them in the sticky pink substance. "Five minutes!" he bellowed to his astounded and trapped team and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him.

With a cheeky grin at Starfire, Robin walked across the room, grabbed his cape and stuffed it in the crack under the door. "That'll keep them," he muttered as Starfire laughed.

"He wasn't wearing a mask," Raven's monotone voice drifted from beyond the door, sounding mildly surprised.

"Yo, BB! Get your feet outta my face!"

"Cant… move…" the green changeling grunted.

Chuckling, Robin dusted his hands off and returned to the giggling Starfire.

He crawled along her length and settled on her again. She smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Robin smiled and captured her lips once more.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Authors Note:** This is actually my first fan fiction so reviews, even criticism would be greatly appreciated._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The sun was setting over the dry and dusty plains surrounding the small town of Baxter. A slight breeze whistled through the town, kicking up whirlwinds of dust that tumbled down the one and only road. A sign saying 'Gary's Gas and Bed' creaked mournfully as it swayed in the wind. A lone speaker perched above the sign emitted a warbled country song.

Two members of the elite group called the Teen Titans were currently stuck amongst mass amounts of pink goo in the parking lot of 'Gary's Gas and Bed'. A third member floated nearby, smirking.

"Raven, if you ain't gonna to lend us a hand, then quit smirking!" Cyborg yelled , as he tried in vain to free himself from the goo.

Beast Boy who had been busily changing himself into various animals in an effort to break free, morphed back into his natural form to speak. "Yeah, Raven. Just because you can use your dark magic thingy to get out, doesn't mean you cant help the rest of us."

"Its your own fault," Raven replied, dryly. "If you hadn't tried to sneak in there and spy on Robin and Starfire, then you wouldn't be stuck now."

"Hey, you wanted to know as badly as we did!" Beast Boy retorted . He gave an almighty heave of the goo and ended up with his foot stuck to his head again. "Aww, man. This stuffs never coming off."

"Would you stop doing that?" Cyborg cried finding his face level with Beast Boy's rear end. "That's closer than I ever wanted to be!"

A sudden lighthearted giggle and both Cyborg and Beast Boy looked up into a barrage of water being dumped on them. Spluttering the pair heaved in breaths and sat up.

"Oh ha, ha, very funny," Cyborg drawled sarcastically wiping the water and pink residue off his face. "Dissolves in water. How original."

"This stuff tastes terrible," Beast Boy muttered , his eyes watering frantically.

"Serves you both right," Robin laughed , taking the now empty bowl from Starfire and tossing it back into his motel room. "At least it kept you occupied for a few minutes."

Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged a wicked glance. "Robin and Starfire, sittin' in a tree-" they sang.

Robin withdrew a small packet from his utility belt, holding it up between two fingers. "Finish that sentence and you'll be wearing pink for the night."

Beast Boy eeped and ducked behind Cyborg. "Dude, that's so totally unfair."

Robin simply stood there and smirked.

"So, what now?" Raven asked.

Robin glanced at the rapidly fading sunlight. "Nothing for tonight," he replied, replacing the small packet in his belt. "I'm guessing the T-car is still missing parts?"

"Yeah," Cyborg replied as he got to his feet and activated the console on his arm. "There's only a few left. I gotta lock on most parts from when those goons thrashed my car. Trackable isotopes on most sections make it so much easier. We can pick them up in the morning."

"So, pizza?" Beast Boy asked hopefully.

"Ooh yes, Robin," Starfire cried, twirling happily. "A mustard pizza would be most enjoyable!"

"I don't think this town will have much on the pizza front," Raven noted. "Theres not much to it. Why don't you boys go and see what you can find?"

"And what will you be doing?" Beast Boy whined .

Raven smirked at Beast Boy and said nothing as she grabbed Starfire's arm and dragged the hapless girl off toward the motel room they were sharing.

"Ooh, boy, now you're in trouble," Beast Boy laughed as Robin's face turned thoughtful. "They're gossiping!"

TTTTT

It was the dead of night when Robin was suddenly roused from a deep sleep. He was instantly alert, kicking off the blankets; he rolled from the bed and dropped to a crouch on the floor, bo staff in hand. In the dim light that shone from the alarm clock he failed to see what had awoken him. He reached for the lamp on the bedside table and switched it on.

As light flooded the small room there was a soft rap at the door followed by a hesitant voice. "Robin?"

Robin quickly unlatched the door and peered into the gloomy darkness. "Starfire?" he called softly, the chill of the desert night making his breath frosty. He hit the floor when something soft touched his head and waved in front of his eyes like red spiderweb.

Starfire was floating upside down above him, holding onto the doorframe, her feet gripping the wall. She unhooked one hand from the doorframe and held it out to him. "I fear I am having trouble grounding my feet."

Robin reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling the unfortunate alien girl into his room. He was surprised when she lifted him off the ground as she floated into the ceiling.

"Too happy, huh?" he said with a smile, grabbing her other hand.

"It is not common amongst my people to have a joyful reaction from the first physical contact… er … making out," she replied with a blush. "But even when it happens it does not usually last as long as it has."

"How long has it lasted?" Using her arms as leverage, he swung his legs up and hooked them behind her knees. Letting go of her hands, he grabbed her by the shoulders before sliding his arms around her neck. She brought her arms around his back to help hold him against her.

"Several hours." She blushed again and turned her head away. "I was dreaming and then I was on the ceiling."

Robin chuckled. "So, how do we get you down?"

"I believe that its customary for the one afflicted with joyous feelings to fly until they return to normal. I do not wish to go flying alone in a strange place like this. Will you accompany me?"

Robin gave her a slow smile. "You know, I'd really like that." He lent upward giving her a quick kiss before jumping nimbly to the ground. "It's pretty cold out there, I'll grab a jacket," he said as he pulled a red uniformed jacket from his suitcase and slipped it on.

Starfire flipped her body over so she could crawl along the ceiling toward the door. She reached the door and hung there upside down much like she'd done earlier.

Robin smiled at her and opened the door, stepping into the cold frigid desert air. He waited until Starfire had maneuvered through the doorway and was hanging on the other side before locking the door. As he slipped the key into his utility belt, Starfire sprang from the wall and scooped him up by the shoulders before hurtling into the air.

Robin fought to withhold a whoop. He loved the feeling of flying, the wind rushing past his ears, the ground falling away beneath his feet. As an acrobat, he'd grown to love the sense of almost flying as he leaped outstretched toward his father arms. As a crime fighter, he'd welcomed the extra high and speed that using his grappling hook could provide, short lived that it was.

When the Titans were created he discovered a new way to fly. Being scooped up by the shoulders by Beast Boy's pterodactyl form always left bruises that would last for days. Raven's dark energy left him disoriented and a sense of being out of control. But with Starfire, when she grabbed him by the shoulders, or took him by the hand and dragged him along, he'd always felt unfettered. When he flew with her, it was almost as if he was the one flying, soaring above the trees or dipping down and skipping across lakes.

Flights with Starfire had only ever been in the heat of battle, a brief catch if he fell; a spin and a toss at a criminal for extra power; a helping hand. It was always so brief and left him wanting for more. She'd never invited him to fly with her before, and he'd never asked.

And now they were flying together, hurtling up into the night sky at breakneck speed, dipping and soaring and twisting amongst the stars against the light of the full moon.

As Starfire performed a series of aeronautical acrobatics, a double loop the loop followed by a spin and into a rotating dive, Robin could no long withhold his excitement. "Yeah!" he bellowed punching the air, before throwing his arms wide, his head flung back in exhilaration. Starfire laughed along with him. She wrapped her arms around his chest so his back was pressed against her and placed a chin on his shoulder.

He turned his head toward her, placed a hand on her cheek and captured her lip, kissing her deeply. He desperately wanted to portray the wonderful feeling of freedom she was bestowing upon him through the power of his kiss. Without leaving his lips, Starfire pulled out of the dive and sent them soaring skyward once more.

Starfire broke the kiss with a sigh, and nuzzled his cheek. "As joyful as kissing you is, I would really like to be able to land tonight, Robin."

He chuckled, allowing his hand to linger on her cheek, before turning to face the scenery. They were a fair way into the air, the moonlight illuminating a narrow yet deep canyon, its river long since dried up. Robin recalled seeing it while racing Ding Dong Daddy and Red X.

Starfire grinned and dove for the canyon. She zipped along the canyon cliff's edge, scarcely a handspan away from ploughing into the rough rocky edge. Adrenaline surged through his veins, as several times he was sure she was going to crash headfirst into a rocky wall, but she always nipped away at the last possible moment. He hoped fleeting that she could see better than he could, as the rocks seemed to loom out of the darkness only seconds before she maneuvered away.

The wind howled through the narrow canyon, wild and fierce. It buffeted against the pair, threatening to smash them in to a wall, but Starfire rivaled it at every turn.

Gradually she began to slow, heading away from the canyon wall and flying sedately along the middle, allowing the strong winds to choose her path. She began to take her turns slower and carefully.

"Getting tired, Star?" Robin asked as she drifted upward toward the edge of the canyon.

"Not at all," she replied with a smile, placing Robin on the canyon cliff edge and alighting beside him. "Tamaranians are renowned for stamina. I am feeling more in control of joyful feelings and was certain I could land."

Robin grabbed her by the waist, lifted her up and spun her around in the air. "Star! That was absolutely amazing! How did you do that? That was the most incredible experience of my life!"

She laughed and placed her hands on his neck, floating down so she could curl her body around his. His hands crept up her back as he pulled her in for a kiss. The world dropped away, nothing else existed but each other and the beating of their hearts.

Starfire began to float away again and Robin clamped his hands on her shoulders, keeping her close as their mouths continued their entanglement. Starfire ran her fingers through his hair and shifted slightly, placing her knees on either side of his waist, crossing her ankles at the back. Robin didn't doubt that she done it unconsciously to keep herself from floating away, but the action seemed to ignite something within him.

He kissed her hard, his tongue sliding against hers and he groaned into her mouth. One hand shifted from her shoulder, running down the length of her back and kneaded her bottom. Starfire sucked in a startled gasp, before his ravaged her mouth once more.

Robin's mind was reeling. Just to have his hands on her, kneading, touching, playing, was sending shivers down his spine and left him wanting more. Every whimper she made only served to aggravate it.

She whimpered against his lips, before finally pulling away. "Robin," she panted and he could see the reluctance in her eyes. "We should stop. We need to get back."

He sucked in a labored breath and he placed his forehead against hers, his hand shifting from her bottom to the patch of bare skin at her waist. "Yeah, I know," he murmured as he pulled her into a cuddle. "That went further than it should have, I just wanted to thank you for an amazing flight."

She unhooked her legs and floated down to the ground, her arms falling to hug him around the waist.

"God, you're just so incredible," Robin breathed into her ear, causing her to shiver in delight. "I just can't get enough."

She pulled away and smiled at him.

The howling wind ceased.

Starfire's head abruptly snapped to the night sky. She turned her head from side to side, listening intently. He watched her shoulders suddenly shudder and she floated off the ground, conjuring a star bolt in each hand.

Immediately Robin pulled his bo staff from his utility belt, readying it in front of him, preparing for battle. He surveyed the surrounding darkness, but could see little that would pose a threat. He glanced at Starfire. "Star, what is it?"

"I am unsure," she replied, her green eyes intent on the sky. The full moon barely shone through a thick layer of strangely orange cloud. "I have not felt the _snar_ sign since I left Tamaran. I was unaware-"

She rose a few more feet and launched a star bolt parallel to the ground. Robin watched it illuminate the ground as it streaked away and was suddenly engulfed in what seemed like a huge dark curtain of cloud. Starfire grunted and released the second star bolt.

It streaked away only to be swallowed by the cloud again. Robin's heart pounded, the second star bolt had disappeared significantly closer to where he stood. What ever it was, the thing was moving fast.

The wind screamed into a gale force, battering Starfire away. Robin slammed his staff into the ground in front of him and dug in his feet to brace himself against the thrashing winds. Small shrapnels of dirt and sand stung his skin, filling his mouth with grit.

"It is the _n'ixmaral_!" shrieked Starfire as she struggled against the force of the wind, reaching for Robin. "Storm of sand!"

"Starfire!" he yelled, sand and dirt crunching between his teeth. Turning his head he could barely see her through the high-pitched screaming of the wind heavy laden with dirt. His feet were pulled from the ground by the sheer force of the storm. He heard her scream as she surged through a blanket of dust, her fingers clawing for him before she disappeared behind the curtain of dust once more. Only her glowing green penetrated.

Yanking his grappling hook from his belt, he fired in the direction of her eyes, almost losing his grip on his staff from the sudden weight as the hook connected with something. He held the handle tight and waited the heart wrenching moment before those glowing green eyes slowly crept toward him. He grunted as the wind fought to pry the handle from his grasp, the rope of the hook flailing madly through the air.

Starfire climbed out of the cloak of dust and wind toward him, each hand laboring to inch forward along the rope, each hand struggling to maintain a hold as the rope flailed and whirled through the air.

Even though they were barely a few feet away, it seemed to take Starfire forever to reach him. His arms burned with the strain of holding on and he could scarcely draw breath from all the sand. Just when he thought he was going to be torn apart from the strain he felt a hand grab his boot.

The weight on his arm disappeared as Starfire gripped his feet. Releasing his grappling hook he grabbed on to his bo staff with his other hand. Starfire painstakingly climbed up his body, as the wind fought to pry them apart and fling them away in its embrace.

He felt a sudden wetness leaking through his jacket as she reached his chest, but then her fingers clamped onto his shoulders and he thought nothing more of it. He hooked his legs around her, pulling her toward the bo staff. She stretched forward, making a grab for the bo staff, before finally hooking both hands around it.

Robin didn't know how long they hung there for, their bodies slamming into each other as the wind and the dust roared past. His muscles screamed in protest and every breath was ragged. He didn't think Starfire was doing any better than him, her eyes were closed and her face was etched in pain.

The bo staff suddenly shifted jostling the pair. Robin watched in horror as the ground around the bottom of the staff began to crumble. Each buffet of the wind, each time the pair smashed against each other, more of the bo staff was being pulled from the ground.

With another fierce squall of wind the staff was yanked from the ground. Starfire let out a shriek as she lost her grip on the flailing staff. Robin lunged for her and their hands briefly collided before she was borne away by the yowling wind.

"Starfire!" Robin screamed as his own body tumbled and flopped uncontrollably through the air taken by winds stronger than he'd ever dreamed possible. His back slammed into something hard and everything faded away.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note:_**

_The e'ara concept is mine. I have absolutely no idea if that band has a purpose in the comics, I can't find one. I just noticed that Starfire always wore it (even in the comics) and decided to give it a greater purpose. I reviewed the episode "Betrothed" and saw that male and females wore theirs differently and not everyone had one, so included something about that.  
_

**

* * *

Chapter 3 **

Starfire shrieked in rage and fear as she was torn away from Robin, desperately grabbing for his hands. Her glowing green eyes allowed her better visibility in the storm but if she didn't act soon, Robin would be swallowed. Looking through the surging dust she saw Robin slam against something and bounce, before tumbling away listlessly.

She clenched her fists and bit down on her lip, almost gagging on the sand and grit in her mouth. Arms held straight out in front of her, she forced herself through the wild currents and toward the tumbling body of Robin. It was easier to fly with the wind instead of against as she'd done when she tried to reach Robin the first time. She was thankful that the _n'ixmarals_ of this planet were no where near the destructive force of the ones that turned her home planet from a lush jungle to a barren wasteland.

She caught his limp body across the chest. As she tumbled and twisted in the air, buffeted from all directions by unstable currents, she fumbled for the packet she knew to be in his belt. She found the slim packet an instant before they slammed into a rocky surface. The packet burst open against Robin, coating his stomach and chest as well as the wall and Starfire's gloved hand in sticky pink goo.

Knowing she would be unable to pry him loose now, she hung onto him with all her strength and maneuver herself behind him so that her stomach pressed against his back. She slipped her arm out of its sticky glove and dug her fingers into the wall by his shoulders. Planting her feet on either side of him she braced to weather the storm. The wind thrust her against Robin's back and she gritted her teeth, determined not to let the wind tear her loose.

Time disjointed.

She had no idea how long she'd hung on to the rocky wall. Her fingers spasmed in pain, her palms were shredded and weeping blood from the grappling hook. Her knees were torn and bleeding as the wind howled and rammed at her already battered body.

She barely noticed the breaking of dawn as the dust turned from black to murky red. Nor did she notice how slippery her hold was getting.

The last thing she remembered was being borne away by the wind.

TTTTT

"Rob."

A small sound echoed. A name. It weaved in and out of the darkness he inhabited.

"Robin. Can you hear me?"

Feeling came next. Aches and pains. Something pulling at his chest.

"Damn it, man, do you read?"

Was that Cyborg? He floated, dimly aware that he should be trying to wake, but the darkness was so comforting.

A memory tickled the corner of his mind. He tried to ignore it, tried to continue his slumber, but the memory brought a rushing of winds, a taste of grit and _fear_. Fear surged through his mind and his body reacted.

His eyes snapped open, wide and panicked and he thrashed wildly, his head colliding with a solid rock face.

Pain surged through his head. Grime coated his hair and clothes and filled his mouth. He blinked and shook his head to clear it, creating a shower of dust as he did so. He blinked again, attempting to concentrate on the wall ahead of him. How had he ended up against a wall?

He focused on what was holding him to the wall. Seeing the grime coated adhesive goo he placed a hand on his chest, pulling the goo away to stare at it incomprehensibly.

Looking over his shoulder he noticed a ledge a short drop beneath him. He slowly blinked at the ledge before placing his arms and legs against the wall, pushing off and stretching the goo. It gave way with a sudden snap and Robin crumpled to the ledge.

He slumped there momentarily; noticing that his uniform was shredded and he hurt in places he never dreamed possible. He agonizingly pulled off his ruined jacket and tossed it to one side.

"Robin."

He raised his battered head. Where was that voice coming from? He swallowed slowly, wincing at a sudden flare of pain on his cheek. He wiped his cheek before staring unthinkingly at the blood that he'd drawn.

"Robin, please man, you gotta answer."

Cyborg? That was Cyborg. He sounded worried. Robin's hand automatically reached for the communicator and he blinked when he saw it suddenly appear in his hand. He snapped it open. "Cyborg?" he slurred slightly.

"Dude! You gave us a heart attack!" Beast Boy's shrieked voice through the communicator.

Robin winced and shied away from the shrillness of the changeling's voice.

"Robin, what happened? You look awful," Raven's voice said, her image suddenly appearing in the communicator.

Robin frowned. What had happened? His brow furrowed as he tried to remember.

"We've got your signal locked now, Robin," Cyborg said , his face forcing itself over Ravens. "Raven's coming to get you, so sit tight and she'll be there soon."

"Dude," Beast Boy said from beyond the communicator's visual range. "Ask him if Starfire's there, too."

Starfire. The name ignited in Robin's brain, kicking it into over drive as the memory of the previous night events unfolded. The communicator clattered to the ground as Robin scrambled to his feet, looking around wildly. "She's not here," he yelped, his heart thudding painfully in his chest.

He peered over the edge of the ledge, realising he was in the canyon that they'd flown through. The canyon below was completely devoid of life. Red sand and grime covered every surface, tuffs of the stuff swirled in a now tame breeze. She wasn't there.

He glanced upward intent on seeing how high it was to the top of the cliff and his breath caught in his throat. Above him, caught in the sticky pink strands of goo, was a bloodied glove.

"No, no, no, no, no," he chanted as he scrambled up the cliff face to pry the glove from the goo. Dropping back down to the ledge he peered at the bloodied silver glove in his hand. "Starfire!"

A huge black raven arched in to the sky, shrieking loudly. Robin whipped around to face it as it dissipated, leaving Raven floating in its wake.

Raven took one look at the bloodied silver glove in Robin's hand and the world exploded. Dust and grime was flung away and Robin was forced to his knees. Rocks were torn from the walls and imploded, scattering debris in every direction.

"Raven, stop!" Robin cried , sprawled in front of the devastated half-demon.

Raven took a deep calming breath and took control of her powers. "What happened?" she asked bleakly.

Robin closed his eyes as he struggled to remember. "There was a massive dust storm. The wind was pulling us off the ground; Starfire could barely fly in it. I managed to anchor us to the ground with my bo staff at the top of the cliff. But the ground gave way around it and we were pulled into the air. I don't remember anything after that. That was no ordinary dust storm."

"Where did you get that?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Robin pointed to the stands of sticky goo still attached to the rocks above. Raven floated up to take a better look.

"Robin, I think you'd better see this," she called as a black circle appeared at his feet. He gingerly stepped onto Raven's disc and she levitated him up the wall.

As he reached level with Raven, his blood went cold. "No," he whispered in shock.

The rocky wall in front of them was covered in sticky goo. Tatters of Robin's jacket fluttered in the wind. On either side of the goo, two deep grooves had been smashed into the wall, and further down were two more deep gouges. He leaned in, picking several strands of long red hair from the goo before running his fingers around the rim of one of the grooves. It came back bloody.

"She must have caught me," he muttered softly to himself. "Grabbed the adhesive packet from my belt and stuck me to the wall. Why didn't she stick herself too?"

"She may not have had time," Raven replied, pointing to one of the grooves. "Look at those marks. Whatever she'd done, she'd done it quickly. There are nail marks on the wall here."

"Then why isn't she here?" Robin yelled in frustration. "If she managed to get to a wall, why didn't she hold on?"

"I don't know," Raven replied, dryly. "I have no idea how long this dust storm went for. In all fairness, how long do you think you could hold on?"

Robin cast Raven a scathing look, before he sighed and ran a hand through his dusty hair.

"Robin, you need a shower and something to eat. I'll take you back to Cyborg and Beast Boy, they may have found something by now."

Robin nodded disheartened as he was enveloped in Raven's power.

TTTTT

A green falcon screeched as it soared through the sky. Its keen green eyes surveying the deep canyon below as it hunted for signs. The seeking eyes would find even the smallest scrap of purple material.

But there was nothing. The land below was covered in too much thick red dust. The swirling winds continued to reshape the dust so that any hope of finding traces of Starfire was lost.

It was strange; the storm seemed so localized. The country even a mere mile from the canyon was untouched.

The falcon spotted a dark shape floating by the rim of the canyon and dove.

Beast Boy changed as he landed by Raven side, peering over the edge of the canyon.

"I don't understand. How can a dust storm do this kind of damage? There are huge boulders down there that have been moved. And only a mile away, nothings been touched."

"Robin didn't think it was a natural storm," Raven said, her voice dark.

Beast Boy turned his eyes to her. "How is he?"

"A few fractured ribs, some nasty cuts and bruises and a knock to the head. Nothing that I couldn't fix. I put a sleep spell on him, so he'll sleep for a few more hours." She huffed. "Then he'll wake and demand to know where Starfire is."

Beast Boy sighed and turned back to the canyon. "I can't see any sign of her."

"We're never going to find her like this," Raven deadpanned . "This is pointl-"

Beast Boy instantly swiveled to face her, waggling a finger. "Don't you dare say it's pointless. It's never pointless. Starfire has never given up on any of us, I'm not about to give up on her."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I'm not giving up on her."

"Yeah, well, it sounds like you are," Beast Boy snapped , his hand on his hips. "Starfire has always been the best of friends to each of us. She's always laughed at my jokes, watched my movies, gotten me out of any number of jams, she's even tried my tofu."

Raven shuddered. "She doesn't have the best taste in food."

"The point is, she tried. It's more than you've ever done."

"Its plastic pretending to be meat," Raven replied tonelessly.

Beast Boy threw up his hands in disgust. "Don't you dare lose hope. You wouldn't be a very good friend-"

Boulders were pulled from the ground in a release black energy, before crumbling into dust. Raven's eyes shined with power as she surrounded herself in her cloak and towered over the changeling. "Don't you _ever _say that! You have _no idea_ what Starfire means to me."

For once, Beast Boy stood his ground when faced with the enraged half-demon. "I have no idea how much any of us mean to you, Raven. You pick on me something shocking. You never play games with Cyborg. You roll your eyes when Starfire talks, or drinks mustard, or tries to do the girly stuff. The only time I've ever seen you truly smile was after we'd beaten your dad. So tell me, what does Starfire mean to you?"

Raven sighed, dropped her cowl and turned her back on him, her eyes downcast. "Starfire and I were a bad match from the beginning. She's always so bubbly and happy and I'm so…"

"Dark?" Beast Boy supplied helpfully. "Morbid? Scary?"

"Thanks for the support," Raven snapped over her shoulder. "I get the picture." She sighed. "It's just that… she got under my skin. I have gotten so used to having her happy energy around that…" Raven shrugged and trailed off momentarily before continuing. "I'm her opposite. She likes the girly stuff and I don't, she likes bunnies and kittens, and I prefer gargoyles and witches. And somehow she's suddenly my balance. I can be dark and gloomy and morbid all the time, because I know she's always so happy. She's my best and only girl friend." Raven's voice trailed off and she finished at a whisper. "And I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her."

Beast Boy reached out and touched Raven lightly on the shoulder. "It's okay, Raven. We'll find her. Don't cry."

She turned and battered his hand away. "I don't cry. Crying achieves nothing. And we're not going to find her if we stand around all day yapping."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Any luck?" Robin snapped as he exited the small bathroom of his motel room. Raven had healed most of his wounds and he'd washed off the dirt and grime from the storm. A small bandage covered the cut on his cheek, and yellowed bruises littered his face and arms.

He snatched the pizza box from Beast Boy as he stalked into the room and choked down a slice before tossing the box on the bed. "Happy now?" he barked at Raven. "I've slept, showered, changed and eaten. Am I _allowed_ to go find Starfire now?"

Raven simply raised her eyebrow at him and returned to her meditative stance.

Raven infuriated him for having the gall to put him to sleep. And then on top of that she had demanded that he shower before doing anything else. He'd been so angry when he'd woken to find several hours had past, and then he had to waste more time by showering. Starfire was still missing and he had to find her.

He was swamped with guilt about not being able to protect her and he needed to know that she was all right. He wanted to thank her for saving his life. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her what she meant to him, to let go off all the feelings he'd been denying.

_Unless she is already dead_, the nasty voice at the back of his mind whispered. Robin squashed the thought before it could take root. He _would_ find Starfire. Tamaranians were resilient, she'd told him that countless times. She would be all right.

Cyborg looked up from where he was attached to Robin's computer by a series of cables and shook his head sadly. "I can't find a trace of her communicator anywhere. It's possible that it's broken."

Raven floated a few feet of the floor on the other side of the bed, her legs crossed and her face hidden by her cowl. "I can't locate her psyche anywhere close," she said, her eyes shining with power. "I'll keep searching."

Beast Boy sighed and reached for the remote control.

Robin rounded on him in an instant, using the hapless changeling as an outlet for his anger. "Starfire's missing and you're watching TV!" he screamed towering over the boy. Beast Boy squeaked and hid behind Raven.

"Rob, chill," Cyborg muttered offhandedly, clacking away at the keyboard. "BB and Raven have been out all day searchin' for Star."

Robin was instantly mollified and he shot Beast Boy an apologetic glance. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He shouldn't be lashing out at his friends like this; they were doing their best.

"He's exhausted," Cyborg continued, without looking up. "He's been watchin' the news and weather channels for information on that dust storm. Don't think he's managed to find anything yet."

"And he won't," a dark voice chimed as the computer screen flickered, startling the group. A black bat flashed momentarily before the man himself appeared on the screen. "The media has no clue it even occurred."

Robin swore, stalking across the room and plunking himself in front of the screen. "What do you want?" he snarled angrily.

"Temper, Dick." Batman clicked his tongue. "You don't look so good."

Robin saw Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanging glances at the name out of the corner of his eye, but chose to ignore that for the time being. He slammed a fist down on the table beside the computer in rage before addressing his mentor. "How the fuck should I look? I can't imagine you'd look any better if you'd gone through what I have. I don't have _time_ for this, what do you want?"

He was aware of the startled gasps of his teammates as he addressed Batman in such a matter but he was beyond caring. He needed to find Starfire. She could be hurt, or dying. He needed her. But nothing could have prepared him for what Batman said next.

"Starfire's alive."

The relief was overwhelming. His mind went blank. All the anger in Robin drained out of his body in an instant and he collapsed against the back of the chair, allowing himself a brief moment of sheer exuberance. His teammates clustered around the computer, bombarding Batman with questions.

"Dude, where is she?" Beast Boy asked shrilly.

Raven pushed herself in front of the changeling. "Is she hurt?"

Cyborg shouldered his way in. "How'd you find her?"

"Guys," Robin said softly, instantly silencing his team before addressing Batman once more. "How do you know?"

"I've been tracking a criminal calling himself 'The WeatherMan'. At first he was pulling little jobs; non-stop rainstorms, localized lightning strikes, causing hail, property damage and such. Recently there have been a few electrocutions, with the remains having a hand print burnt on their necks." He clicked a few buttons, bringing several images of various meteorological events, and the strange charred remains of some unfortunate person. "I've been unable to trace him thus far, he's chaotic in his actions, unpredictable. This was sent to the Gotham Police for me this morning." Batman leant toward the screen and flicked a switch.

The screen flickered and presented the image of a sneering man, adorned in a headpiece resembling a dark cloud with a bolt of lighting striking his forehead. Greasy black hair dripped from beneath the headpiece and a gray band of material covered the man's brown eyes. His torso was clad in a strangely designed suit resembling the color of the red dust in a desert, littered with swirling tornado images and his cape was the color of a forest. He was up close to the screen effectively blocking the view of the room behind him.

"Harry Potter wannabe," Raven droned quietly.

"Greetings to the Batman," the WeatherMan grinned, his mouth opening to reveal a set of yellowing teeth. There was a strange thumping sound in the background. "By now you've detected the small display I created over the desert by a place called Baxtor. As I'm sure you're aware, your little pigeon also happens to be in that area. Anyone who knows you, my friend, knows how much you look out for the bat brat. My sandstorm was designed to capture that puny bird, but it seems to have snared a far brighter jewel. I must say she's a determined little thing. I had to hold that storm in place for six hours before she was caught. Say hello my jewel."

"Dude, he was after you," Beast Boy whispered only to be shushed by Raven.

The WeatherMan stepped aside, revealing a heavily bandaged red haired girl banging on a clear wall of a small square cell. The cell seemed to be situated in some sort of cavern, but Robin couldn't make out any clear details. Robin heaved in a breath as he caught the first glimpse of Starfire, his heart clenching in a mixture of terror and relief. He clutched at the table in front of him to steady his nerves. Starfire's uniform was in shreds and splattered with dried blood, and she was covered in scratches and cuts. Her gloveless hands were wrapped in bandages and she was missing her boots. Her hair was a mess, but she had a determined look in her eye and a sneer on her face. In Robin's mind, she looked positively breathtaking, simply by being alive.

Cyborg, on the other hand, let out a long whistle as he saw the damage. Beast Boy wrung his hands in worry, his ears down woefully. Raven chanted under her breath to keep herself calm.

"_Plynn dosst xukuth xil oohssa guy'ya rahi harl dosst rinteith cal guk tok! Zuel ussta e'ara 'ichard!"_ Starfire barked, continuing to pound the clear wall with her fists.

Robin snapped to attention, his eyes narrowing in thought.

The Weatherman clicked his tongue, and waggled a finger back at her before facing the screen once more. "Such a foul mouth for such a pretty jewel, she's been swearing at me in that language ever since she woke up." He held up his hand to the screen, displaying a smashed titan communicator. "As you can see, I've removed and broken any transmitters she was wearing. I also know the powers of the baby titans. The room she's locked in was designed to keep the baby bird from being found by the mind."

Robin heard Raven click her tongue irritably.

Starfire slammed the clear wall with two fists, her eyes glowing a brilliant green. The whole panel shuddered, starling the WeatherMan enough to turn back to her. "_Zuel ussta e'ara," _she snarled sinisterly, slowly raking her fingers down the wall.

"My dear," the WeatherMan snickered. "If you continue to do that, you're going to reopen those wounds of yours and I won't be fixing you this time. Then where would you be, hmm?"

Starfire fell silent, glaring at the WeatherMan.

"That's better," he smirked, turning back to the screen, blocking the view of Starfire once more. He jutted out his square jaw. "I still don't know how she managed to weather my storm for so long before being caught in my trap, or how birdie managed to escape. And she may not be terribly important to you, but I know a certain little brat that would love to have her back." The WeatherMan laughed menacingly.

He swung away from the screen and lounged in a chair, his finger steepled before him. Starfire paced restlessly in the background. "So, here is the deal, Bats. You're going to have my lady Allgera released from Arkham Asylum, and then maybe I'll send Robin's little star back to him. If you don't, well then, I'm just going to have to wreak havoc with the world's weather patterns. Permanently. You have twelve hours."

The message ended and Batman reappeared on the screen; his mouth set in a line.

"I warned you about getting too close. I warned you that people would try and use those we cared about. You didn't listen."

Robin clenched his fists and closed his eyes tight, determined not to let Batman's words affect him. "Don't you dare make this about that. You heard him, he was after me."

"And now he has Starfire instead."

The words hit Robin like a slap in the face. Starfire had been taken because of him. She was hurting because of him. He tried his best not to let that fact affect him, and he knew, deep down, nothing was going to get in his way in getting Starfire back.

Robin took a calming breath, squashing all his anger. "You're not releasing this Allgera," he said blandly.

"Of course not," Batman said, brusquely. "She's being shipped to another prison as we speak."

"Have you been able to determine a location, based on what's on the tape?" Robin asked, fishing for information.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Far as I can tell, she's underground. There are no other discernible sounds or geological features on the tape."

Robin pushed for more information. "He said that she couldn't be located by the mind. I'm guessing she's under some sort of dampening field. Are you able to trace it?"

"I don't need you to tell me how to do my job, Dick," Batman told him blandly. "What I need from you is the translation to what Starfire was saying."

Cyborg opened his mouth to speak but Robin beat him to it, casting a warning glance to his friend. "She's insulting him."

Batman eyed Robin critically before continuing. "Do you have any other tracking devices placed on her that he may have missed?"

Robin narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest. "I don't need to keep track of her like that," he snarled, remembering too well the tracking devices Batman had hidden on him without him knowing.

Batman's expression was hard. "Answer the question."

"No. The only tracking device on any of the Titans is in the communicator. Are you going to let us help?"

Silence hung in the air.

"No."

"I see," Robin said stoically. The admission stung, but he couldn't say he didn't expect it.

"This is my business, Robin. I trust you won't interfere."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Robin drawled, waving his hand vaguely before pressing a button on the computer, effectively hanging up on Batman.

"You agreed to that rather quickly," Raven noticed, pursing her lips.

"We're really not going to stay out of this are we?" Beast Boy asked, tugging his ears.

"Of course not," Robin snorted. "I bet Batman even realises that, or he wouldn't have contacted us. Cyborg, I trust you copied that message?"

"You betcha."

"Can you replay it? I need to hear what's she's saying."

"Dude, I think she's just ranting," Beast Boy said, a confused look on his face, only to be cuffed to silence by Raven.

"Sure," replied Cyborg, making a few keystrokes before bringing up the ransom message once more. He forwarded it to the part where Starfire spoke. Her snarling image filled the screen.

"_Plynn dosst xukuth xil oohssa guy'ka rati harl dosst rinten cal guk tok! Zuel ussta e'ara ichard!"_

"Booyah! You go girl!" Cyborg cried happily, punching his arm in the air.

"And she said what exactly?" Raven asked dryly.

"Basically," Cyborg said with a huge grin. "She's gonna stretch out his tongue and shove it where the sun don't shine. It's a very nasty Tamaranian curse." He flashed a cheeky grin before his forehead furrowed and he tapped a finger to his lips as he tried to translate the rest. "_Ussta _is 'my' or 'me'. I have absolutely no idea about the rest."

"That's my girl," Robin replied softly, silently rejoying.

"You know what it means?" Raven queried, watching him.

Robin nodded. "It's a message for me. She hid it amongst the Tamaranian ranting, so the WeatherMan wouldn't suspect a thing."

"Yeah, but she didn't know the message was going to get to you. The dude sent it to Batman," Beast Boy said.

"She must have felt she had to take that chance," Cyborg replied. "There's not many on Earth that can speak Tamaranian. I guess she hoped whoever got the tape would seek us out."

Robin stood silently for a minute, his mind ticking over. His three friends watching him in silence as he gathered his thoughts. "Right. Cyborg, I need you to contact Titan's East and get the T-ship sent here. We're gonna need it. I want the three of you to rest, recharge, meditate or play games. I don't care. Just be ready to go when I call."

"What are you going to do?" Beast Boy asked timidly.

He turned to face them, his eyes hard, his stance determined. "I'm going to find Starfire."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Starfire paced the small, contained cubical, muttering Tamaranian curses under her breath. There was little for her to do now but wait. She'd done her best to send a message through to Robin and had to hope that he would get it. If not, her only other glimmer of chance would be that Batman had the resources, and the inclination to find her.

She hated being caged. When she'd woken up inside the cubical, it had brought back all the memories of her containment on the Gordanian ship, of the Citadel. It made her twitchy, filling her body with dread. But she will not allow it to effect her. She would escape, just as she did before.

Starfire studied the walls out of the corner of her eye while she paced. This WeatherMan must have gotten her in here somehow. There was no door and the only opening was small vent in the ceiling. Starfire thought he must have placed her inside and then sealed the clear panel shut. All the pounding she'd been doing on the clear panel had weakened the wall where it joined with the roof. She had seen gaps in the join and felt it starting break when the WeatherMan was making that recording. A well placed eye beam; followed by a few hits should be enough to break her out.

The WeatherMan hadn't counted on capturing a severely pissed off Tamaranian. He'd been hoping to get Robin. Starfire clenched her fists in anger. How dare the WeatherMan try and use Robin to blackmail Batman. He was going to regret that.

She would wait, bide her time and gather her strength.

TTTTT

Robin had noticed her message the instant she'd spoken it. _Zuel ussta e'ara ichard. _The_ ichard _was obviously his name without the R, spoken like that to disguise that fact that it was a name, instead of the inane rambling of a furious Tamaranian. He was proud of her ingenuity and strangely drew confidence from it as well.

The _e'ara _was the metal armband he currently twirled in his hand. It was a Tamaranian device used to replay memories, each bonding to once person only. He hazarded a guess at _Zuel_, thinking it probably meant 'trace' or 'track' or 'find'. All three words fitted into what she was saying. What he didn't understand was how he was supposed to be able to trace it. He supposed that it must emit some sort of signal, seeing as how it replayed memories. He just had to find it.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes before pulling up the image of Starfire in her prison. Something had seemed wrong with the picture when he'd seen it in the recording. He played the recording of her at half speed, watching each movement carefully. She was not acting in her fury, her face contorted into a snarl, but she was being very careful to expose her right arm and shoulder to the camera. Heat surged through him as he realized why.

Her arm was bare. The armband was gone.

He froze the recording; zoomed in as much as he could and cleared up the image. There, in the space where the armband normally rested, was a small, disjointed arrow, drawn in blood. The arrow pointed upward toward her shoulder. Staying zoomed in his carefully checked each inch of her arm, until he reached her shoulder. Her shirt at the shoulder had a small cylindrical shape imprinted under the material.

Robin grinned. "Yes," he hissed excitedly as he realised what she done. She'd shown him a way to find her. By hiding an activated _e'ara _under her top, it would continually replay whatever she was thinking about, and being trapped under her shirt, the light beam would not be able to escape. She'd given him a traceable signal.

Robin felt a sudden burst of pride. It was so undeniably clever of Starfire and made him all warm inside to discover she had such faith in him finding her message. He would not let her down.

Now, all he had to do was to find that signal to trace.

TTTTT

"Do you think he'll be able to find her?" Beast Boy asked, as he spawned on his stomach on Raven's bed, eyes glued to the small television. When Robin had asked them to leave, he and Cyborg had retreated there in an effort to be closer to Starfire. Seeing that it was Raven's room too, she wasn't about to let them in there alone.

Beast Boy had been toying with one of Starfire's silver gloves, constantly pulling it on and taking it off before Raven had snapped and confiscated the glove.

"If anyone can, it's Robin," Cyborg replied, sitting on Starfire's bed, connected to a power supply. "We'll know soon enough."

Raven sighed and abandoned her pretense of meditating. She uncrossed her legs and floated to her bed, sitting beside the green changeling.

"What's wrong?" Beast Boy asked, still slightly unnerved from her display of humanity on the canyon rim.

"I hate this waiting," she muttered. "I feel like I should be doing something."

"We all do," Cyborg replied. "But Robin's right, we need to have our strength ready to pound this WeatherMan when Robin calls."

"It's taking too long," Beast Boy whined, rolling on his back and gazing at the roof. "It's been an hour already."

"It will take as long as it takes," Cyborg said as he checked his power readings. "At least the T-ship's prepped and ready."

"Yeah," Beast Boy mumbled. "You know, I never realised Starfire had so much power. I mean- hold on to a wall for six hours? I couldn't do that."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You don't notice much, do you?"

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Beast Boy sharply asked.

"Haven't you ever noticed how greater Starfire's power is when Robin is in trouble? How she's always the one to catch him if he falls? How much bigger her star bolts are if he's hurt? The only time she ever catches Cyborg first is when she's sure Robin can save himself. And even then she's still heading in his direction."

Beast Boy blinked looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Er, no?"

"Her emotions are the key to her powers," Raven replied, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The more strongly she feels, the greater power she has."

"And she feels pretty strongly for Robin," Cyborg included, disconnecting himself from the power supply.

"The feelings mutual," Robin said from the doorway. "Let's go, I've found her."

TTTTT

_Now! _

Starfire felt grim satisfaction as her eye beams cut through the joint in the wall. She raised her fists, slamming them down upon the clear panel. It shuddered and small cracks appeared. Again she slammed the panel, her eyes glowing with power.

A third strike and the panel shattered.

Starfire heaved in a breath and rose to hover above the carnage she had caused. Creating a pair of star bolts, she floated out of the cubical. The scent of burning filled her nostrils as the bandages on her hands reacted to the star bolts. She inched carefully into the room beyond, knowing that at any moment the WeatherMan could return.

It was a strange, cave like room, its uneven circular walls carved from rock. One side of the room was cluttered with junk, old pieces of inactive machinery and broken equipment. A large reclining chair lounged in the middle of the room; a strange arm like apparatus perched over it. The chair looked so similar to a Gordanian torture device that it made Starfire's legs twitch simply by looking at it. Beyond the chair was the doorway that the WeatherMan had disappeared into.

A large computer screen filled the wall to the right of her, displaying a map of the world covered in various glowing icons. The WeatherMan had spent the majority of his time fiddling with the control panel below the screen. She drifted closer, making out various meteorological symbols littered around the panel. She saw dials for wind speed, buttons for rain, little wheels for tornadoes, and push controls for floods, hailstorms and dust storms

Starfire froze. This was how the WeatherMan had created the _n'ixmaral_ that had captured her. She had to destroy it. She raised her star bolts.

Lightning cracked, streaking across the room and struck Starfire in the back. She shrieked in pain as she was tossed across the room, impacting the rough rocky wall, before sliding to the floor.

"I'm impressed," a voice laughed. "I had no idea that you were that strong."

"I shall not allow you to succeed," she snapped, dragging herself to her feet, clutching at the wall. She turned to face him, locking her glowing green eyes with his.

The WeatherMan stood upon a floating disc by the door. He had a strange, dialed contraption strapped to his belt, and snakes of wire twirled around his wrists and across his rubber gloved palms. He tossed a small lightning ball between his hands. Underneath the disc he stood on, a miniature tornado twirled, keeping him afloat.

"And just what are you going to do about it, little jewel?" he smirked.

Starfire raised her arms and unleashed a volley of star bolts directly at the WeatherMan. Continuing to fire one hand toward the door, she turned her other hand toward the control panel and unleashed a barrage of star bolts at it. The explosion rocked the room, knocking her off her feet.

Starfire staggered upright, her eyes watering from smoke, her ears ringing. She clung to the wall, grimly satisfied that she'd destroyed the control panel. Even if she fell here, he would be stopped.

She dimly became aware of laughter. She raised her eyes to see the WeatherMan looming over her, the lightning ball in his hand.

"Stupid little jewel. Do you really think I'd be dense enough to put Batman's brat into a room with my one and only Weather Controller? Did you really think that's the only one I have?"

"I believe that it was a mistake to tell me that there is more than one!" Starfire cried triumphantly.

Horror adorned his face and he unleashed his lightning ball.

Starfire was quicker. A surge of adrenaline pumped through her body and she pushed off the floor, flying straight for the now broken doorway. Another lightning ball streaked by her, blackening the door frame. She rolled in the air, firing star bolt after star bolt behind her, all the while dodging his lightning balls as she flew down the wide, rounded corridor.

Seeing a small, wooden door branch off from the corridor, she crossed her hands above her head and smashed through the door. The small room beyond the door was devoid of anything that remotely resembled a control panel, but just to be on the safe side she destroyed anything electrical within the room. Quickly about facing, she zipped into the corridor once more and swooped away from the WeatherMan. She could go much faster than his little tornado surfing disc.

Something hit a wall next to her with a solid 'thunk' and she was sprayed with a flush of ice. A quick glance over her shoulder saw that the WeatherMan had resorted to using balls of ice instead of his lightning.

Another door smashed and the room beyond destroyed before Starfire was faced with a twining corridor. Without pausing, Starfire took the left corridor and hurtled down it.

TTTTT

Starfire was getting tired.

She'd managed to fly far enough away from the WeatherMan that he could no longer hit her with his lightning or ice balls, but she still wasn't that far ahead. She had stopped in every room she could find and destroying all equipment in the hope of disabling his Weather Control, but she'd never counted on how big the complex was. How he'd managed to amass such an amount of junk, she'd never know.

And it was strange that she'd not encountered any other people in here. She'd have thought in a place this big, there at least would be other people, but it was abandoned.

Perhaps it was some clever ploy of The WeatherMan, in the hope that if Robin had escaped and managed to disable the first controller, he'd never be able to find the second. Starfire was certainly beginning to feel that way.

It had been a long time since she'd eaten anything, or slept soundly, or even been able to gather energy from the sun. Her muscles burned, the wounds on her hands had reopened and stung bitterly. Her arms felt like lead weights and was getting harder and harder to create a star bolt. Starfire knew that if she didn't rest soon, she was going to collapse.

She desperately clung to the hope that she could either find a way out of this maze, or that Robin or Batman would come. That hope seemed diminished by every new room.

The next room she entered turned out to be another strange cavern like room, similar in size of the room she'd been held in. The far wall was covered in two huge gray metal doors, stretching from one side of the wall to the other. They were much like the hanger doors in Titan's tower. Hovering above the doorway she glanced around the room. There didn't seem to be any sort of transportation that would require such huge doors within the room.

What she did spy in the corner set her pulse racing.

The second controller!

Gathering her remaining power, she unleashed every ounce of energy she had left. The control panel was bombarded with green fire and exploded in a shower of sparks.

Starfire landed spent, no longer having the energy to fly. She padded softly into the room and headed for the double doors, her bare feet gingerly stepping over shrapnel and burning parts.

"You stupid, meddling, little bitch," a voice hissed and Starfire turned to face a wrathful WeatherMan.

Starfire straightened her shoulders and raised her head. If she was destined to die here, she would do it with pride. "I believe I said you would not succeed."

Lightning sparked between his hands, casting his face in a mixture of shadows and light. His eyes blazed beneath their gray material. He jumped nimbly off his flying disc and stalked towards her, his forest green cape flapping behind him ominously.

Starfire held her ground. She bent down and lifted a long piece of shrapnel, holding it behind her like a bat. As he neared, she swung it at him. He seized it and tore it from her hands in one swift motion, before stepping up to her and grabbing her by the neck with one hand.

She squirmed, weakly kicking out at him with her legs as he lifted her from the ground. Her hands clawed at his.

"You may have delayed my plans," he snarled, tightening his grip, his other hand twiddling the dial on his belt. "But I hold the blueprints to those controllers. They will be rebuilt. You, my jewel, will no longer be around to stop me."

He unleashed his lightning straight into her.

Starfire convulsed.

She arched back, her head lolling in his hand, her legs convulsed as the lightning surged through her like white fire. Her muscles fired without control and she contorted in on herself, writhing in agony. Time expanded as the electricity burned through every inch of her and all sound vanished except its crackle. Flesh ripped and began to burn. Sparks danced through her singed hair. Her eyes closed and she gurgled.

Something snapped inside her and she floated away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Raven could feel Robin's impatience through the icy darkness of her cloak. They had just landed the T-ship on a huge rocky mountain just past the outskirts of Gotham City, with Robin looking like he was going to burst if he didn't get to Starfire soon. So Raven had paused to take one last mental trip, intent on finding the WeatherMan's position now that they were so close.

She found Starfire instead.

But something was seriously wrong. Starfire was… fading.

Raven had sprung into action, instantly wrapping her startled friends in her cloak and transported the four of them through the dimensions.

Her raven form let out its familiar shriek, signifying their arrival at their destination. The darkness twirled and dissipated as she opened her cloak, releasing her friends.

The world stilled.

The madly laughing WeatherMan held a convulsing red haired girl off ground by her throat. Her head was flopping in his hand and she was making this horrible gagging noise that made Raven sick to her stomach. The stench of cooking flesh raged through the room.

Robin went insane.

A birdarang suddenly pierced through the air, slicing deeply into the WeatherMan's arm even before Raven was aware that one had been thrown. The girl crumpled to ground and lay still, her neck smoking.

Raven stared at the burned girl, her mind numb, refusing to understand, refusing to believe that this girl was Starfire. Starfire was a pillar of strength and happiness, she was light and love, not this crumpled slip of a thing lying motionless on the cold, hard ground. It just wasn't possible.

She could hear Cyborg crying out in denial and Beast Boy heaving beside her as he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor.

She could vaguely hear someone screaming in pain, someone else roaring in anger. The continual dull thuds of fleshing pounding flesh.

The sudden crunch of bone shook Raven from her daze and she rushed to Starfire's side. The alien girl was awash with cuts and bruises. The imprint of a hand was burned into her neck. Raven rolled Starfire on to her back, placing an ear next to Starfire's mouth to listen for breathing before moving her ear to her chest.

Nothing.

She was so still.

The screaming abruptly stopped.

Raven snapped her eyes toward a blood splattered Robin as he continued to smash his fists against the WeatherMan's face and chest. The WeatherMan's wrist hung at an odd angle. She reached out with her powers and snagged Robin around the waist and encasing his arms, before dragging him from the unconscious form of the WeatherMan. She couldn't allow him to kill the WeatherMan; it went against everything Robin stood for. He snarled and flung his head around to see who grabbed him, his eyes wild.

She used her powers to pull him to her and slapped him hard across the face. "She's not breathing," she shrieked at him, hoping to snap him out of his rage.

His face blanched white and horror displaced the rage. She released him. Instantly Robin was kneeling opposite Raven checking Starfire's vitals for himself.

Robin tilted Starfire's head back, pinched her nose and placed his mouth over hers, filling her lungs with his air. He sat back, measuring out the center of her chest with his hands before clasping his hands together and pressing down hard five times. He returned to her mouth and gave her another two breaths.

"Star? Baby, please... oh god…" he murmured as he continued CPR.

Beast Boy came to crouch beside Raven, his face white with fear, his eyes as big as saucers.

"Come on, baby, breathe…"

Raven listened to Robin plead with Starfire, her own heart thudding painfully. Cyborg hunkered down beside Robin, trying to take over the heart compressions, but Robin brushed him away.

"We're here, I'm here… I've got you; you're safe now…"

"Does she even breathe air?" Beast Boy whispered.

She turned her head to stare at him in shock, insults dying on her lips. Did Starfire actually breathe? She could survive the harshness of space, a place where no oxygen existed.

"Of course she does," Robin snapped without turning his attention from Starfire's still body. "Open your eyes, Star, breathe for me..."

Beast Boy clutched her shoulder, his fingers digging in painfully. "Raven! You gotta heal her!"

Raven reached out with her powers, desperately trying to heal the body. It was empty. "I can't heal the dead," she replied feebly.

"No! Starfire, please! I need you!"

Raven turned and grabbed onto Beast Boy's shoulders, swiveling him to face her. "You need to be my anchor," she said quickly. "Give me five minutes, and then do what ever you can to wake me."

She waited for his hesitant nod before turning to Cyborg. "Can you make a pair of shock paddles?"

Cyborg nodded, instantly reaching for his arm console, rerouting power into his hands. He shouldered Robin out of the way, placing his hands on Starfire's chest.

Raven floated, crossing her legs in the air and nodded to Cyborg. "Don't stop, whatever you do, don't stop. _Azarath Metrion Zinthos."_

Starfire's body convulsed beneath Cyborg hands as Raven's soul-self shot into Starfire.

The world went white.

Raven blinked to find herself floating above her body. The room was shrouded in gray fog and the commotion below echoed as though it was coming from a great distance. Looking around she couldn't find the familiar figure encased in fog. _Starfire?_

She heard a whisper of sound. _I did not mean to leave. _

Raven turned toward the sound in time to see the transparent soul of Starfire swirl into existence. It was hard to see the solemn alien girl, as her ethereal form could not hold its shape for long. Wisps of fog were streaming from her face and torso, her arms and legs had already evaporated.

Starfire's colorless eyes stared down at her battered body. _It hurt so much, but I did not wish to go. _

_You have to go back. _Raven felt a tug against her middle, knowing that her body was trying to rejoin with the spirit.

"Starfire! Come on, breathe!"

_I could hear him calling me. He sounded so far away. But I had to come._

_He fights for you._

_I know. _A ghostly tear dripped from Starfire's eyes and vanished into the fog. _You should not be here. It isn't safe. You could be caught._

_I'm not about to let you go either. Get back in your body. _She was running out of time, the pull of her body intensifying.

Starfire closed eyes. _There is a barrier. I cannot pass._

_It's called pain, Starfire. You have to break through it. _Raven watched Starfire's soul fade in and out of existence as Cyborg unleashed another jolt into her body.

_There is a strange weight in my chest._

"Don't leave me!"

_Robin! I do not wish to go!_

_Get back in your body. _It was a struggle for Raven to maintain a hold on the spirit world; her own soul-spirit beginning to flicker as it tried to return to its body. She held on, she needed more time. Starfire had to return.

_It hurts!_

_You are stronger than pain. Get back in your body! _Raven's body pulled at her, and she was powerless to resist.

"Please, Star, I love you…"

_Robin! _Starfire cried out and faded out of existence.

Raven found herself rushing back into her body, slamming against it with such force that she crashed into Beast Boy. She scrambled away from the startled changeling and back toward Starfire.

Starfire was so still.

"Please," Raven found herself whispering, before reaching out and grabbing Robin's arm. He stilled and looked at her, tears dripping down his cheeks. She spared him a glance at him before staring intently at Starfire's face. It was now or never. Either Starfire would overcome the pain, or they would loose her.

It was the longest moment in Raven's life.

Starfire gurgled in a breath, her chest rattling.

Robin instantly gathered her in his arms, rocking her slightly, brushing the hair away from her face.

She struggled for another breath, and Raven placed a glowing hand over Starfire's throat, healing the damage enough to let air pass through.

"That's it, baby, keep breathing," Robin mumbled, mashing his lips to her forehead.

"Robin?" she rasped. Her eyes fluttered open and struggled to focus.

"Starfire, I'm here."

"Friends?"

"We're here," replied Raven softly. She moved her glowing hand to Starfire's forehead. "Everything's alright now. Sleep."

TTTTT

Starfire snapped open her eyes.

She bolted upright, throwing off numerous red blankets with a heavy gasp, her heart pounding in her chest, her hands clutching at her throat.

Slowly snatches of memories returned. She remembered the agony from the Weatherman's lightning, a voice calling through the fog, Raven's power filled eyes, Robin's pale face, and a breached barrier. Nothing that made any sense. It was all a blur. What had happened?

The world swam into focus and she looked around.

She was sitting on a huge soft four poster bed, the blankets thrown back. Shimmering crimson drapes were drawn around the bed, giving her privacy and keeping the area dark.

She turned her head. The empty space beside her was rumpled and obviously slept in.

She became aware at how little her body was hurting. She ached, but it was no longer the unbridled agony she'd felt before. She glanced down at her body.

A white floral slip covered her lithe body. Yellowed bruises and small scabbed cuts littered her arms and legs. Her hands were free of their wounds, all bar a thin scar through the middle of her palm. She gingerly touched her neck. There was no pain, nor any trace that there ever was. Had she imagined the WeatherMan's hand on her throat?

Starfire heaved in a sigh of relief. She remember seeing Raven. Raven must had healed the sections that hurt the most, leaving the other parts of her body to heal at its own rate. Her friends must have brought her to this place to recover. She briefly wondered how long she'd been asleep.

She crawled to the end of the bed, hunting around for the part in the drapes before poking her head through.

The room beyond was larger than her one at Titan Tower. A small fire crackled in the fireplace on the wall opposite, two huge red chairs sprawled before it. Toward a corner towered a bookcase; several lounge chairs scattered around it. A chandelier hung from the roof. In another corner, a huge polished mahogany desk shone, to its left revealed an open doorway leading to a bathroom. To the right of the bed, the wall was covered in wooden paneling, looking suspiciously like a wall length wardrobe. At the end was another closed door. A huge draped window was between the desk and the bookcase.

Never in her life had she seen such lavishness in a room, even as a princess of Tamaran she had never been afforded such luxury. She wondered where she was. And where Robin was.

At the foot of the bed, a huge chest stood and upon it sat some neatly folded up clothes, her _e'ara_ perched on top. Reaching down she automatically retrieved the _e'ara_, returned it to its armband shape and snapped it back on her arm before studying the clothes. A soft green knitted sweater, with a plain white collared shirt and jeans, a pair of sneakers, and some matching lavender underwear.

Seeing nothing else to wear she scooped them up and headed toward the bathroom.

Feeling significantly refreshed after she'd showered and dressed, Starfire dawdled in the room. She had no idea where she was, or where her friends were for that matter and she felt strange to be out of uniform. She'd snuck a peek out the window and was surprised to discover aches of soft snow covering the ground, leading off into a forest.

Steeling herself, she headed for the door. Surprisingly, it opened before she reached for the handle, and she leaped backward in shock. A tall slim white haired man wearing a black suit stood waiting for her.

"Miss Koriand'r," the man said with a small bow. "My name is Alfred. Welcome to Wayne Manor. If you will follow me please?"

Alfred turned on his heel and walked smartly off, leaving Starfire no choice but to follow him. She floated down the wide hallway, gaping at the huge painted portraits hung on the wall. "Please," she asked timidly. "Where are my friends?"

Alfred walked to a wooden door at the end of the hallway and stopped, turning to face her. He opened the door and gestured inside.

Eying the man carefully, she floated to the doorway and poked her head around.

"Starfire!"

A small green shape barreled into her, knocking her backward and her arms encircled the trembling changeling. Another body collided into her, and Starfire recognized Raven's dark hair. A third pair of arms encircled all three of them, lifting them all off the ground in a group hug. "Friends!" she cried joyously. "It is glorious to see you!"

"Starfire, you have no idea how good it is to hear you say that," Beast Boy replied, pulling away from her.

Cyborg dragged them all into the room, dumping them onto a nearby couch. "Girl, you had us worried there!"

"I apologise for worrying you, Cyborg, it was not my intention," replied Starfire, still confused as to what actually happened but making no effort to disentangle herself from her friends. Her eyes scanned the room and her smile wilted when she saw no more friends to greet.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," Raven chided, a thin smile lighting her normally stoic face.

"I promise." Starfire pulled her into a tight hug, pleasantly surprised and somewhat confused when Raven returned it.

"I shall fetch some refreshments," Alfred called from the doorway.

"Dude, she needs mustard, and tofu," Beast Boy cried.

"Tofu is not a refreshment!" Cyborg said, outraged. "She needs something with meat in it! Alfred, my man, bring her a juicy steak!"

Beast Boy turned on Cyborg, leaping to his feet. "Tofu!"

Cyborg stood, towering over the changeling. "Meat!"

Starfire took a moment to study her friends. Each of them were dressed in normal clothes similar to hers, Cyborg's hooded sweater was red, Beast Boy's was purple, and Raven's was dark blue and she was without her usual cowl and cape. They seemed relaxed and calm, something they had not been for quite some time.

"You know," Raven interrupted with a straight face. "Tofu sounds… nice."

Cyborg and Beast Boy were instantly floored. Beast Boy recovered first, punching his arm into the air. "Yes! I knew you'd try it one day!"

"No!" Cyborg cried. "Raven, don't go across to the dark side!"

Raven smirked. "A little late for that isn't it? And some green tea too please, Alfred."

"Very good, Ma'am," Alfred replied , closing the door behind him.

Beast Boy turned back to Starfire. "Star, isn't this place great! Free food; free cable; all the video games you want; all you can eat tofu! This is a great place for a holiday!"

Starfire giggled, while Raven rolled her eyes.

"And the gym is totally rocks," Cyborg added.

"And they have an huge in door swimming pool, and its heated!" Beast Boy's eyes were shining.

"A garage full of vintage cars and motorbikes. Oh, the upgrades I can make on the T-car from this place!"

"I must admit, the library here is great," Raven said, gesturing the room they were currently in.

Starfire turned and surveyed the room. Every wall was lined with books, and a winding staircase spiraled up to a second level, also covered in wall to wall books. The floor was littered with comfortable couches and chairs and scattered with coffee tables. There was a stack of books sitting on a small table beside Raven.

"Never before have I seen so many books!" Starfire cried in delight. "I did not know Earth had so many! This place is truly a wonder."

Raven nodded, before turning serious. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

Cyborg and Beast Boy's eyes instantly snapped toward her and they sat down on the couch opposite, intent on her answer.

Starfire cocked her head and leant back on the couch. "I am sufficiently healed, Raven. My aches do not hinder me. I wish to thank you for the healing."

Raven sighed and briefly touched Starfire's knee. "I thought we'd lost you, you were so still."

"I've never been so frightened in my life," Beast Boy added, his eyes shining. "Even Raven's haunted house didn't scare me as much."

"I've never felt so inadequate," Cyborg included, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "All my implants, and nothing seemed to work. It's not something I ever want to feel again."

Starfire stared at the three of them, her eyes wide. What had happened? Had she been hurt that badly? "We were victorious, were we not? The WeatherMan failed?"

"We almost lost you in the process," Cyborg remarked. "But the WeatherMan now rots in Arkham Asylum."

Starfire smiled sadly. "Then everything is the o and k?" She sighed and hugged her arms to her chest.

"Are you okay Star?" Beast Boy asked carefully.

"I am fine, Beast Boy." Starfire's smile wilted. "I am not fine. I am happy to see you all but, please, where is Robin? Why is he not here? There is a pain in my heart that will not go away."

The three of them exchanged glances and dropped their gaze. The silence was deafening. Starfire became worried, her heart clenching painfully. "Did he not survive the _n'ixmaral_? I did everything I could to protect him, was it not enough?"

The door opened causing Starfire to jump and Alfred entered. "Excuse my interruption. Miss Rachel, Mister Garfield and Mr Victor, you are required elsewhere. Miss Koriand'r, if you return to your room, refreshments will be served momentarily."

"But, I-" Starfire began anxiously.

"Star, its okay," said Beast Boy as he stood and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Go and eat. We'll catch up later." He held a hand toward Raven, who grimaced and took it, allowing the changeling to pull her to her feet.

Starfire stared after them, hurt that they could leave her so soon. And she hadn't even found out where Robin was. She sadly got to her feet and wandered back down the hall toward her room. She entered it quickly and slumped on a chair beside the fire. She hugged her knees to her chest and studied the flames, tears spilling from her eyes.

Where was Robin? She was so sure she'd seen him when she'd woken before. So sure she'd heard his voice. Had it been wishful thinking? Had he perished in the _n'ixmaral_ and she'd only thought she's seen him? Was that why her friends avoided the subject? Surely Robin could not be dead, when she'd worked so hard to save him. Had all her pain been for nothing?

The door opened. Starfire, thinking it was Alfred bringing refreshments buried her head in her knees to hide her tears.

"I thank you, Alfred," she said sadly, her voice breaking. "But I fear I am not hungry."

She heard a small clatter of silverware as something was placed within the room, and the door closed.

Someone touched her hair.

She raised her head, staring into the gorgeous blue eyes of her dearest friend. He smiled as he knelt before her and raised a hand to her cheek, gently brushing the tears away.

"Hi there."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Robin," Starfire breathed, and launched herself at him, peppering his face with kisses. He laughed as he overbalanced and they tumbled to the floor, with Starfire sprawled on top of him.

He reached up and placed a hand on her cheek, holding her in place and stopping her frantic kissing. He smiled again and brushed her cheek with his thumb, before attaching his mouth to hers.

She melted into him, her hands trapped against his chest. His hands came round to rest on her waist to pull her closer, before one hand gently roaming up and down her spine. The other buried itself in her mane of hair to clutch at the back of her neck.

The tip of his tongue grazed her lips and she opened her mouth to receive him. He tasted of fresh coffee and chocolate and she savored the flavor as he gave her long, languorous kisses.

He nibbled her lip, sending shivers down her spine and she sighed against him, her splayed hands unconsciously kneading at his blue sweater.

He rolled her onto her back, his weight settling over her as she cradled him between her legs. Robin broke from her lips to leave a wet trail of kisses down her face and licked the skin beneath her ear, before nibbling on her earlobe. She shivered and whimpered in pleasure, curling one knee up to his hip, running her foot along his leg. He pulled away from her neck and captured her lips once more.

Starfire wrapped one hand around the base of his neck, the other digging its fingers into his waist. She was surprised to feel a small patch of bare skin where his sweater had ridden up and brushed her fingers along it. He twitched beneath her seeking fingers as she ran her hand up the inside of his sweater.

Robin caressed the side of her body, running his fingers down the curve of her breast, the smooth dip of her waist and rested on her hip, grasping and playing with the folds of her clothing. She moaned when his hand slipped inside her sweater and splayed across her waist. His thumb brushed against the lace of her bra, sending small jolts of electricity coursing through her body.

Things became heated. Robin's kisses became more demanding, his mouth bruising against hers, and she felt a strange hardness against her inner thigh. His hand crept up under her sweater to cover her breast, his fingers brushing lightly over her skin. Her own hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they traversed his back.

He broke the kiss with a gasp as his back hit the roof. He chuckled lightly and looked at the floor over her shoulder, before looking back at her. "Happy, huh?"

"Yes, very," Starfire replied serenely before floating them down to the floor.

Robin rested his forehead against hers. "I almost lost you," he said huskily, before sliding off her to lie on his side next to her, his hand draped across her stomach.

She reached up, cupping his neck in her hand, her thumb stroking his cheek, her eyes full of compassion.

"I've never been so scared before. You weren't breathing and your heart wasn't beating. You were so still. I…" he broke off, burying his head into her shoulder, his arms clutching at her.

"What?" she squeaked in disbelief, her eyes widening with horror. Suddenly Robin's angst, all her friends' actions and comments made sense. They had nearly lost her because she had died! She couldn't believe that she'd nearly left them all.

"You don't remember?" he asked, his breath tickling her neck.

She shook her head, her eyes wide, her voice clogged in her throat.

"We arrived at the WeatherMan's hideout and Raven wanted to see if she could feel him. She suddenly grabbed us and took us to you, and when we arrived he had you by the neck. You were convulsing and making this strange gurgling sound." He shuddered against her. "You looked so hurt, and I could smell you burning. I had to get him away from you. I threw my birdarang and it sliced through his arm. I… just snapped… I was on him, punching him as hard as I could. I didn't stop until Raven grabbed me with her powers, screaming at me that you weren't breathing…" His voice broke.

Starfire curled her body around his, her hands gently stroking his back, needing to be close to him.

"I started CPR. I tried _so_ hard, but you were slipping…Raven said you were dead, but I couldn't let you go. I wouldn't give up… Next thing I know, Cyborg's shoving me out of the way and Raven's soul is shooting into you. When she returned, you came with her. She's been coming in here every day while you were asleep and healing you a bit."

"We were victorious, and I am still here," she whispered. "We are together. That's all that matters."

He sighed and pulled away from her, rolling onto his back and staring at the roof.

"I could've killed him and I didn't care. I've never felt that out of control before."

Robin sounded so despondent and Starfire knew it was because he'd vowed never to take a life. That vow was part of who he was, a creed so ingrained that it hurt for him to know he'd almost broken it. And then to almost lose her on top of it.

"He was a very bad man," Starfire whispered in Robin's ear, before cupping his chin and tilting his head so that he looked into her eyes. "And you are not. You did what you must to save me. It changes nothing about who you are inside."

Tension seemed to drain out of him and he pulled her close. "I asked Raven what she did to make you come back. She said that she'd done nothing, that you were already trying to come back, and that I'd given you the strength when I told you that... You really don't remember anything?"

"No, Robin," she replied softly. She propped herself up on an elbow to look at him. "What did you say?"

He cupped a hand against her cheek. "I love you."

Starfire's smile could have blocked out the sun. "I love you too," she whispered and kissed him deeply. She lingered on his lips for a while before pulling away, frowning slightly. "Robin, where are we?"

"Wayne Manor. It was my home before Titan's Tower."

"Where Robin could be Richard?"

"Yes, where Robin could be Richard. It's owned by my father, Bruce Wayne."

Starfire frowned in thought. "Then Bruce Wayne is Batman?"

Robin nodded.

"Then why are we here? I believed you did not want the identity secret known."

Robin ducked his head, embarrassed. "I'm kinda grounded."

Starfire was confused. "But Robin, you cannot fly."

"What?" he asked surprised, before laughing. "Oh, no Star. That's not what I meant. It's an earth expression. A parent will ground a child when they do something wrong. Usually it means a loss of privileges, like going out with friends and such. For me, Bruce made me… all of us come here for a while."

"What was wrong?"

Robin ran his fingers through her hair tenderly. "He told me he would handle the WeatherMan and I was not to interfere, and I did anyway."

"I do not understand. The message I sent was for you. No one else could have found me."

"I know that," he said as he tickled her ribs. "And it was very clever by the way. I think on some level he knew that too, which is why I'm only confined to the Manor and not my room."

"So, we can only visit places in the Manor?"

"You can go anywhere you like, I'm the one that's grounded."

She suddenly brightened. "Beast Boy claimed there was a heated pool of swimming here! May we swim? Please Robin?"

Robin laughed. "Why don't you have something to eat and I'll go see if Alfred has a swimsuit for you."

TTTTT

Alfred, the ever prepared, had provided each of the Titans with civilian clothes for their stay at Wayne Manor. Starfire was delighted to discover the purple one-piece swimsuit he had placed aside for her, which she wore now, including her ever present _e'ara_ clamped to her arm. Robin proudly displayed his matching one.

Starfire laughed as she dove into the pool, the warm water splashing in her wake. Robin grinned and plunged in after her, chasing her across the pool. She giggled and evaded him, so at ease in the water, it was almost like watching her fly.

He caught her ankle, dragging her backward through the water. She laughed merrily, reached back and grabbed his wrist, shooting from the water into the air, pulling him with her. She held the wrist out in front of her, grinned wickedly and released him.

Robin somersaulted in the air, before stretching his arms out into a dive and plunged downward with barely a splash. Starfire hovered above chuckling madly to herself when Robin reared out of the water, grabbed her arms and pulled her under.

They surfaced laughing, Starfire's arms around Robin's neck and his hands on her waist. He gave her an Eskimo kiss with his nose, before leaning in for a deeper kiss.

"So here you two are," called a voice as Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg entered the swimming area, each clad in a swimsuit and carrying a towel.

Breaking away from the kiss, Starfire raised a hand and waved gleefully at her friends. "Friends, please join us, the water is most enjoyable."

"Cowabunga!" Beast Boy cried, dashing to the edge and leaping into the air. He morphed into a green blue whale in the air and was suddenly encased in glowing black energy.

Raven walked to the water's edge and tutted, lowering the changeling into the water, before releasing him. "Water stays inside the pool."

A green tentacle encircled the half-demon's ankle, lifting her off her feet and dragging her into the water. She surfaced spluttering and sopping wet.

"Whoo, watch out, y'all, its jaws," Cyborg cried playfully and began to hum the theme from 'Jaws' as a green fin sliced the water's surface.

Starfire giggled as the green shark snapped playfully at Cyborg before stalking Raven.

Raven narrowed her eyes, and a small tidal wave appeared in the water, washing the shark away. Beast Boy surfaced, spluttering.

"No fair!" he cried.

"About as fair as what you did to me," Raven retorted scathingly.

Beast Boy poked his tongue out at her before changing into a dolphin and charged toward her. Raven slipped out of his path at the last moment and grabbed on to his fin, allowing herself to be dragged through the water. Robin could almost see the glee in the dolphin's eyes as he dived, pulling the hapless half-demon under after him.

Cyborg swung his arm through the water, splashing Robin and Starfire. "Opps," he said with an innocent smile. "Did I do that? Silly me."

Robin laughed and launched his own attack of water.

A massive water battle followed.

TTTTT

Robin heaved himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool to watch his friend's splash. Starfire was giggling constantly at the antics of Beast Boy, who was busy turning himself into all sorts of marine creatures, trying to discover which one splashed the best. So far the seal was winning. Even Raven seemed to be enjoying herself, even if she was just shielding herself from the splashes.

He smiled slightly as he watched Starfire play with her friends. He had maintained an almost constant vigil by her side while she had recovered, even sleeping by her side at night. He had thought she would never wake even though he knew she was held in a deep sleep by Raven's powers.

To have his friends, to have her in his home, to be able to show them all what lived beneath the mask was an incredible feeling of freedom. He'd wanted to share with them who he was before, but was always held back by his mentor's veil of secrecy.

And now his father had torn away that veil by demanding that he and his team return to the Manor to recuperate. Sure, he'd been berated fiercely for his behavior and had been grounded, however futile and childish being grounded was, but it was worth it. Batman would never have found Starfire in time. Batman would never have known that Starfire would not be caged and would risk everything.

There was a soft footfall behind, but he didn't need to turn around to know who stood there. "Bruce," he said in greeting.

"Dick," came the reply. "Starfire is looking better."

Robin nodded. He lifted one leg out of the water and placed it on the edge, resting his hand on his knee.

"I still don't know how you found her. I'm guessing it has something to do with that band on her arm and the fact that you have a matching one."

Robin shrugged dismissively. "Something like that."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope."

The man sighed. "You've done well, Dick. You have a good team there."

"Yeah, the best."

"But, Starfire is your Achilles heel. You'd better be careful."

"Don't you think I know that? But she is the glue that holds us together too. She's seen the future, what it would be like without her, and she's determined not to let that happen." He sighed. "And I won't keep anyone at arms length anymore. I'm tired of concealing who I am to them. I'm not hiding in anyone's shadow any longer."

"No," replied Bruce softly. "No, you're not. And it suits you."

Robin felt his heart catch. He'd never heard his father say anything to that effect before, and it was somewhat mollifying.

"Eww, BB," Cyborg yelped as suddenly both Raven and Starfire shot into the air, Starfire dragging Cyborg out of the water with her.

Beast Boy's head surfaced. "What?" he asked as the water suddenly blackened with ink. "What'd I do?"

"That's just gross, Beast Boy," Raven complained dryly, heading for her towel.

Robin wrinkled his nose and drew his other foot out of the water. Bruce's only reaction was to give an aggravated sigh.

"I do not wish to know where that substance originated," Starfire commented, carefully placing Cyborg on the pool edge and floating beside him.

"Does she fly all the time?" Bruce asked.

Robin shrugged. "Her flight comes from happiness."

Bruce's lips twitched. "Gave her something to be happy about did we, Dick?"

Robin felt a blush creep over the back of his neck, and silently cursed his father for knowing him too well.

Bruce simply laughed.

Starfire turned at the sound and Robin could see a sudden hesitance in her hovering stance. He beckoned to her, standing up. She obediently flew over to where he stood and he reached for her hand once she arrived before turning to his father. "Bruce, this is Starfire, Starfire, this is my father."

Starfire dipped her head happily. "Greetings _k'norfka_ Bruce. It is glorious to meet you. Robin has regaled us with many wonderful stories about your adventures."

If the ground could have swallowed him them, Robin would have been thankful.

Bruce raised an eyebrow to his protégé, a small smile on his face. "Hello, Starfire. I trust you are feeling better?"

"I am well," she replied, bobbing up and down in the air. "I thank you for the use of your pool of swimming, and allowing us to stay in your home."

Bruce waved his hand dismissively, before walking away. "This is Dick's home too. His friends are quite welcome here. You can thank him."

"Yeah, _Dick_, thanks!" Beast Boy cried teasingly as he swam to the edge.

"Yeah, _Dick_, you're the best!" Cyborg echoed cheekily.

Robin fought not to cringe. "They're never going to give that up, are they?"

Starfire nudged him with a smile. "That is what friends are for."

He turned and smiled at her, before leaning in for a kiss.

_

* * *

**Author's Note:**  
_

_There is a sequel to this story called 'Orange coloured cliffs' Rated M for violence and adult situations. Read at own risk._


End file.
